Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Judge: You Can Go to the Wedding, But Don't Talk to Each Other!

A US District Judge in Chicago is allowing a mobster under house arrest to attend his daughter's wedding with the proviso that the girl's Dad not speak to the groom's Dad, anothere reputed mobster. This is a great story from the Chicago Sun-Times, here's an excerpt from their story:

"On Tuesday, a federal judge laid down the law in the wedding of Frank Caruso and Brittany Szaflarski. Brittany’s dad, Casey Szaflarski, is the reputed video poker king of Chicago. He’s under house arrest and wanted the judge to let him out to attend his daughter’s wedding on Aug. 21 at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel.

The judge decided Szaflarski can go, but there’s a catch.

He can’t talk to his boss, the reputed head of the 26th Street mob crew, Frank 'Toots' Caruso, who happens to be the father of the groom, also named Frank.U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman ordered Casey Szaflarski not to utter one word to the elder Frank Caruso, or face jail. Federal prosecutors are concerned the men could talk mob business amid the nuptials."
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If you are at all like me you went through that period of your life where you attended endless weddings. For many years I thought I had a pretty good collection of wedding "war stories." For instance, years ago I was at a wedding where mid-ceremony the bride whipped the microphone out of the mindister's hand and broke into the song, "You Ligh Up My Life." Another time at a reception, the bride's family got into fisticuffs with the groom's family over the desire of the one family to provide alcohol to guests against the wishes of the other family.

Both the bride and groom in the Chicago nuptials (above) have storied family histories. Here's what the Sun-Times had to say about the Bride's family:

"The bride, Brittany Szaflarski, is the granddaughter of the late Joseph 'Shorty' LaMantia, a well-known mob burglar, who was accused in court papers of once paying $20,000 to one of the most corrupt judges in state history, Thomas Maloney, to acquit his son in a murder."